Worms

An earthworm's food is consumed, stored and broken down inside its digestive tube, which starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. Along the way, ingested soil is ground down to finer particles, allowing blood vessels in the intestine to absorb nutrient-rich organic matter.

A:Grub worms can be killed by both natural methods and by purchasing grub worm treatments. Natural methods include applying milky spores or neem oil to the affected area or adding nematodes to the soil. Purchased treatments include Dylox, Merit and Mach-2.

A:An earthworm's food is consumed, stored and broken down inside its digestive tube, which starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. Along the way, ingested soil is ground down to finer particles, allowing blood vessels in the intestine to absorb nutrient-rich organic matter.

A:Mealworms are the larvae of darkling beetles. They are often raised as food for pet lizards, fish and birds or used by fishermen as bait. Adult darkling beetles lay their eggs in soil, and the eggs hatch after a period of time ranging from a few days to one month. Mealworms begin to eat as soon as they hatch.

A:Flatworms move in various ways. Some use muscular movements of their bodies, whereas others have soles underneath for locomotion. Some spit mucus and use it as a rope to pull themselves. Some aquatic species use their cilia, or small moving hairs, to swim. Some burrow, anchoring with their rear ends and moving their heads. Parasites within hosts use suckers, hooks or spines.

A:Grub worms, also called lawn grubs, are white worm-like pests that live in the soil. They are the larval form of the adult Japanese beetle, sometimes called the June beetle. Each larva is about ½ inch long with a small brown head.

A:Silkworms make silk by spewing a substance called fibroin through small holes in their jaws called spinnerets. The spewed-out substance consists of digested leaves and protein produced by the worm. The silkworm produces up to 1200 silken threads within a 72 hour time period, creating a soft, silver cocoon. Once the cocoon process is complete, silk farmers harvest the threads with steam, and the delicate fibers are spun and woven into silk fabrics.

A:A flatworm obtains its food through cells on the surface of its body and also through the orifice at the top of the head. The cells absorb nutrients from the water by diffusion, and when digestion is complete, the mouth orifice also serves as the anus.

A:Tapeworms do not move much on their own, as their main purpose is to stay attached to the digestive tract of their host animals. They are, however, composed of hundreds or thousands of segments called proglottids. Each proglottid has functional muscles and is fully capable of movement.

A:The life cycle of a tapeworm starts as an egg, which is consumed and stored by an invertebrate. The invertebrate is then consumed by a vertebrate host in which the tapeworm develops and breeds. Some exceptions to this general pattern exist, such as when eggs are retained and hatch within the vertebrate host. Otherwise, fertilized eggs or body segments loaded with fertilized eggs are excreted for invertebrates to consume.

A:A flatworm is any member of the phylum Platyhelminthes, which is a group of flattened invertebrates that have soft bodies. There are different species of flatworm, but 80 percent of them are parasitic. This means that most flatworms live in another organism to obtain nourishment from it.

A:The common earthworm lives within soil, but it often emerges from the ground at night and after periods of heavy rain. Earthworms are found abundantly all across North America, Europe and western Asia.

A:Arthropods, such as insects, shrimps, spiders, centipedes, crayfish, scorpions and millipedes, are the most diverse group of animals in the world. They can be seen on land, in the air and in the sea and are classified under the phylum Arthropoda. Many arthropods remain undiscovered, and the number of species in the largest arthropod class, insects, is assumed to be in the tens of millions.

A:Earthworms play a vital role in breaking down organic particles in soil and aerating soil, and their waste, called castings, is used by gardeners as fertilizer. They also play a role as bait in fly fishing.

A:Earthworms eat organic matter like plant material, microorganisms and dead animals that are found in soil, but they don’t actually eat the soil. However, their droppings, called castings, become a part of the soil, which benefits living plants, according to HowStuffWorks.

A:An earthworm has five aortic arches, each functioning similarly to a heart. The aortic arches have the purpose of pumping blood through the dorsal and ventral blood vessels. The dorsal blood vessel carries blood to the front of the body, while the ventral vessel carries blood to the back.

A:Nearly all animals referred to as worms are invertebrates, including earthworms, and by definition, invertebrates do not have bones. Exceptions include worm lizards, such as the Caecilians and Anguis lizards, which look like worms but have reptilian skeletons.

A:Eggs that come from earthworms are wrapped in a protective cocoon. The eggs are sequestered in the ground for protection. Earthworms are able to hatch in 14 days in warm weather but take up to 60 days to hatch in cold weather. The average lifespan of a worm is four to eight years.

A:Earthworms react negatively to light, avoiding it entirely when possible, because prolonged sunlight paralyzes and ultimately kills them. Earthworms thrive in darkness and live healthy lives without ever seeing the sun.

A:Annelids live all over the world in all types of ecosystems, preferring to burrow in soil, sand or sediment both on land and in the ocean. An estimated 17,000 species of annelids are known to exist worldwide.

A:Worms move by using their longitudinal muscles, circular muscles and setae. Setae are small hairs that protrude from each segment of the worm's body. Worms can extend these hairs into the surrounding dirt in order to anchor one segment of itself while it pulls the rest of its body forward.